What uppppp?!

How are you all today? I hope you're enjoying this story as much as I am!: )

Chapter 12-Fastforward

Zuko P.O.V

I walked through the dark streets of the city, listening to all the boring and pointless conversations of the Fire Nation guards. Since I was considered a general and not the son of Ozai, the guards barely ever listened to me. Only when I yelled would they scatter like flies to get where they needed to be. Tonight we were taking the night off and going to a play. Boring, but I was glad to be off duty from imprisoning innocent people.

6 months.

It had been six months since I had last seen Katara. That day at the palace was the last time I ever heard from her. My father kept me in the prison for a month, then when he was sure Aang would not come back, he let me go. Not as his son, the prince, however; as a general. Uncle helped me embrace this new identity, but I was anything but thrilled. My sister was going to be crowned Queen of the Fire Nation, while I would be kicked under the gutters, nothing but a mere memory of disappointment in my father's eyes.

Uncle had opened a tea shop close by to keep me company while I patrolled the city which I had not bothered to learn the name of. Azula would probably change every town name to "Azula-town" or something ignorant like that. Uncle Iroh made a ton of money with his Jasmine tea; since it was known for calming you down, nearly everyone in the town drank it. They all needed some calming down nowadays, even the children.

"What do you think Zuko? Will this play be worth our time?"

Jaho, one of the younger guards who I had taken under my wing, caught up to me as we walked inside of the large building. I shrugged un-emotionally, "I guess we will see." I answered simply. All of the plays I had ever been too were terrible, but I didn't care. Anything that took my mind off of my current situation was something I tried to do as often as possible. Lately it seemed that my mind was always going back to Katara.

I took my seat in the front row, already uninterested in the play. Jaho started blabbering about this beautiful girl that everyone was always talking about that was featured in this play. He was trying to show me a picture of her that was in the hand-out, but I ignored him. My thoughts at the moment were elsewhere.

The curtains opened and my mind was cleared.

It started out as a young blonde woman complaining to her maids about her boyfriend, who still had not proposed to her.

Oh, wha. Cry me a river.

(the WHA is like a baby crying, ya know? hahaha) "I just don't get it!" The girl exclaimed, pacing around the room frantically, while holding up different dresses to her figure. The maids looked extremely annoyed, and I had a feeling they didn't even have to try to look like that. This young lady's voice was extremely high-pitched and disturbing. It was going to be hard to handle that voice for the next few hours.

"That girl is coming up soon."

"Which girl?"

"The one I was telling you about!"

I sighed and put my hand on the bridge of my nose. If this story was all about romance, I was in for a terrible evening. My dark thoughts were interrupted by her. She had tan skin, narrow cheek bones, and bright blue eyes. Her body was very thin, but the curves in her hips were still visible. The dress complimented her well; a white, lace-filled floor length dress. It took me second to realize that I knew this girl. This girl was Katara.

Katara.

Katara was here! In the play! She was the beautiful girl that everyone was talking about! As I scanned the room quickly, I could see that all the men were staring at her, their mouths hanging open. The blonde girl must have sensed this as well, because she stepped in front of Katara and flashed a smile. "Well if it isn't my most trustworthy friend!" She said happily, giving her "friend" a kiss on the cheek. Katara looked less than thrilled, but she put on a fake smile that the rest of the audience would surely not doubt.

"Come, let us chat for a moment or two!"

The two girls sat down, while I sat here in my chair, my heart racing.

"What would you like to talk about my dear friend?"

Hearing Katara's smooth voice soothed my empty heart. It been long since I had heard such a collected voice. Most of the time the voices in my head were panicking and afraid; it was a nice change to hear this tranquil voice. I sat straighter in my seat, hoping that Katara would never leave my sight again. The two girls sat down in the chairs and the blonde one gave Katara a sad look. "He still hasn't proposed yet Jill." She said, giving the crowd a worried look.

Jill?! Her name was Jill?! Katara was anything but a Jill! They could at least get her a name that suits her!

"Don't worry Leeh! He will propose to you, I know it."

Katara sounded like she was forcing out the words, but I was the only one that seemed to notice. Her friend cheered happily; it sure didn't take much to convince her. If Katara wasn't in this play, I'm sure no one would come, because it was terrible. Leeh jumped out of her chair and started to mumble something about true love or something. I barely heard her. I was too busy staring at Katara.

Time had done her well.

She may be skinner and more miserable looking, but she was no longer that little girl I knew months ago. Who knew puberty could take place within a few months? It took me years to- never mind. Let's not get into that. Anyway, Katara's body was fuller and more pronounced than it had been before. If anything, she looked more beautiful.

"I'm going to find him! Thank you for your advice dear!"

This script was terrible, but I bore through it. The annoying blonde exited the stage, and Katara was left alone. Not for long though. A man with groomed, blonde hair came creeping onto the stage behind a couch, making his way towards Katara, who was not paying attention. He tapped her on the shoulder, "scaring" her so much she jumped out of her seat. The crowd laughed, but I found nothing funny about it.

"What are you doing here? Leeh is searching for you!"

"I had to see you my love."

Wait…did he just call Katara my love? I asked myself silently. I understood what was going on the same time as the entire crowd did. Everyone gasped in shock at this realization. The man was cheating on Leeh with her best friend. Typical plays these days. I was not as shocked at this as the rest of the audience was. Normally, I think the audience would have been disgusted by this betrayal, but since Katara was a beautiful woman, they made an exception.

"You can't be here Chi!"

The man named Chi covered Katara's mouth with his hand. That had to have sent Katara in flashbacks, because I could see the fear in her eyes. For a moment I thought she was going to go all crazy-waterbender on his ass, but she didn't. I was a little disappointed. Something was chewing on my mind, however. If Katara was still having flashbacks about what happened to her, her mind was still damaged. This worried me.

"Leeh is just like a dying sheep; annoying and loud."

The crowd again laughed, but again, I did not.

"Your heart is the only one I desire Jill." Chi said, kissing her on the cheek lightly. I scowled at the action; I bet that man had no idea how privileged he was to be able to do that to Katara. Katara faked her next emotion, smiling and trying to make it look like she was happy. "Chi-" she started, getting interrupted by a loud noise off stage. Chi ran away without another word, leaving "Jill" standing there alone.

"I cannot find him!"

The blonde was back, and the girls in the audience gasped at how close she was to walking in on them. I think I would have enjoyed this play a lot more if she would have. Then Katara could beat her up and get the guy, or something like that. For the next five scenes, nothing else really happened. Nothing had to happen; I was still in awe that I had found Katara after so many months. My father had not sent anyone after them, but I remember having a feeling that they were still not safe. I was overjoyed inside that I had found her, unharmed.

Jaho continued to talk through the entire play, but I managed to shut him up when Katara came back onto stage.

It was one of the last scenes of the play, and I had a feeling something bad was about to take place.

Katara and Chi were dancing at a ball, neither of them worrying about Leeh walking in. They should have been more careful. Leeh walked in on them right as they were about to kiss, which was the even the audience had been waiting for since the beginning. Katara and the maids looked scared when Leeh got an angry look on her make-up covered face.

"Chi? What's…"

She stopped talking and just stared at Katara.

"How could you?! You tried to steal my soon-to-be-husband! You were my best friend! Why?!"

The men in the crowd started yelling, knowing that it wasn't actually Katara's idea to start this affair. We had learned this information in an earlier scene. Chi, however, did not stand up for Katara. Instead, he walked over to Leeh and put his best "it wasn't my fault" look. "I'm sorry Leeh…she made me do it." Chi said, causing an even greater outburst in the crowd.

Katara looked horrified, and again, I didn't think it was acting.

"Chi made me! Please Leeh, believe me! I didn't want to betray you! I've been your friend since we were little!"

Leeh and Chi turned away from her, ignoring her pleas. "Guards!" Leeh yelled angrily. "Sentence her to adultery and hang her!" She yelled, fake Fire Nation guards walking out onto stage and grabbing Katara. As they led her away, I couldn't help but feel a sudden urge to go help her. We had been in situations like that before, and I felt obligated to help my friend.

I gritted my teeth as Katara came back to the scene in chains.

"Jill, you are here by sentenced to death for betraying your best friend and committing adultery!"

"I didn't do anything wrong! He made me do it!"

Chi did not show any emotion. He simply stood by Leeh and watched the man pull the rope up, ready to let it fly down to Katara's neck. It wasn't real, I know, but I had a feeling I would have a mental breakdown if they made blood shoot out of Katara's neck. In fact, I would probably throw up if they made that happen.

They didn't, and Leeh and Chi walked off the stage happily.

Katara P.O.V

Was it him?

Could it be Zuko? Is it even possible that he would be here? I wondered as I got ready for the next scene. I would look at him in the next scene, and then I would know. The men lead me out in chains for the next scene, shutting the lights off for effect. This scene was the one I hated most.

The other actors behind the curtain started screaming and howling in pain, just like they were supposed to. This scene was the favorite of the director; he said it showed just how personal and un-honorable adultery was. I was being condemned to hell.

The red lights showered over my "bloody" body, the hands from the others under the stage grabbing my ankles and pulling. The eerie screams continued, and I scanned the audience for that face again. My eyes stopped when I saw a pair of yellow, dazzling eyes staring at me. It was exactly who I thought it was: Zuko. Zuko was here.

Our eyes locked tightly, after so many months alone. Those eyes I had begin to love seeing were here in my life again, as I was being condemned to hell. The lights grew darker and darker, and Zuko's eyes became less visible. My heart ached painfully, and I wished I could just jump off the stage and embrace him. But I could not.

The lights went off, and I was left in the dark.